Don't miss the Mars + moon rendezvous tonight

HI NEIGHBOR: A sky map shows how the moon and Mars will appear together at 9 p.m. local time on Feb. 9, 2012 in the eastern sky as seen from mid-northern latitudes. (Image: Starry Night Software) Late on the night of Feb. 9, 2012, skywatchers who cast a glance toward the waning gibbous moon in the eastern sky will also notice the presence of a very bright, yellow-orange "star" shining with a steady glow hovering a bit above and to the moon's right. That's no star, though. It's the planet Mars . The apparent distance between the moon and Mars will be rather large, amounting to about 9 degrees. That's roughly equal to the width of your fist held at arm's length. The sky map of Mars and the moon for this story shows how they will appear Thursday night to skywatchers with clear skies. But even though the gap is quite large, the brightness of Mars at this time makes it stand ou...